For A Good Time Call… (Bluewater Bay #17) by Anne Tenino and E.J. Russell

It took me a while to get into this story because the authors took their time building the characters, their interactions, their backgrounds, and finally their attraction. But when I look back over the hours I spent reading this, I realized I enjoyed it overall, and there were points in the story where I couldn’t wait to get back to it if I had to put it down while doing daily activities.

If you are looking for a sexy romp, stop here, and don’t purchase this one. But if you are looking for a new perspective on sexuality, romance, friendship, and love, by all means, keep going and pick this up.

Seth Larson is a good-time party boy and king of one-night stands. Not interested in anything other than a hookup for most of his life, he’s shocked when the quiet, sexy Nate Albano, 37-year-old Special Effects Technician for the Wolf’s Landing TV show, turns him down cold after leading him on. Or at least, Seth thinks Nate’s been leading him on. It takes him a while to find out that Nate is so sweet and innocent of the sexual innuendos most guys thrive on that he didn’t even realize Seth was coming on to him until it was too late. No wonder Seth was shocked when he was looking for sex but was turned down flat! And Nate’s pretty embarrassed by that experience because he liked the guy and just can’t figure out how he misunderstood him.

Seth lives with his grandmother in the stately old mansion on Russell Hill where town founder Finnimore Larson established his estate. His family has lived there for generations, and Seth is employed by his father and uncle as the caretaker and all-around handyman in exchange for rent in the little apartment above the garage. When his grandmother wants to sell the place and move to senior living with her friends, Seth is fully supportive but the others, including his mother, are opposed to selling the house. Since they’re in charge of the estate and are supposed to be making decisions to care for the elderly woman, they have control. And Seth is determined to help his grandmother win her freedom from their oversight. Lots of family turmoil surrounding this issue ensues, but it’s sprinkled with some great humor.

Nate enjoys his job, though because of his erratic behavior as a result of past emotional upheaval in his life, he’s lucky to have been hired, even with a recommendation from Levi Pritchard. Looking at it as a new lease on his career, he’s dedicated and focused, and he and his best friend have come up with great ideas and even better execution for special effects for the show. He’s still grieving the loss of his former partner, Jorge, who left him three years before for another man—more so because he’s only ever had two relationships in his life. He’s gray asexual, so for him the relationship spark must come first. Even after Seth’s blunder, though, he realizes he does feel that spark of attraction with Seth, and he starts to wonder if he’s going to be lucky enough to get a third.

Seems hard to believe, given Seth’s history and reputation, but after they make amends from their first meeting, it’s very definite that they are indeed attracted to one another. Seth goes through pains to keep from offending Nate—so much so, that Nate starts to doubt Seth is even interested.

Once the storyline is established, the story moves along more quickly, but be prepared for the slower start while the groundwork is being laid. The authors did a great job piquing my interest throughout the story. Added to the romance is a potential murder mystery for the guys to solve. When the apparent weapon from Seth’s great grandfather’s murder is found, they take a genealogical trek through the Larson family tree, work on special effects to garner interest in the sale of the mansion, and visit with a few characters from past stories. Add in a feisty old lady and an extremely lovable dog and this became a book I couldn’t put down.

It’s not one of those mysteries readers can’t figure out, but the relationship issues sprinkled among the murder mystery and the plans for the house sale all combine to make this a different take on the usual romance. And when the men finally, finally get their act together, it warmed my heart.

Fans of Bluewater Bay will surely recognize the past characters and various locations highlighted and I’m sure they’ll enjoy this book, but so will others who are looking for a nice MM romance with an atypical couple. And no fear—this can definitely be read as a standalone.

Cover art by L.C. Chase does both a great job with the characters yet connecting it to the series.

Cover Art by L.C. Chase

Welcome to the For a Good Time, Call Blog Tour! We’re delighted to have you stop by, so please, make yourself comfortable. Can we offer you a virtual beverage?

As part of this blog tour, Anne and E.J. are giving away a $50 Riptide Publishing Gift Certificate to one lucky winner! *confetti* To enter the giveaway, please comment on any official tour post with your name and contact info before midnight (EDT), April 15th. Good luck, and enjoy the tour!

About For a Good Time, Call…

Thirty-seven-year-old Nate Albano’s second relationship ever ended three years ago, and since he’s grace—gray asexual—he doesn’t anticipate beating the odds to find a third. Still, he’s got his dog, his hobbies, and his job as a special effects technician on Wolf’s Landing, so he can’t complain—much.

Seth Larson, umpteenth generation Bluewater Bay, is the quintessential good-time guy, content with tending bar and being his grandmother’s handyman. The night they meet, Seth’s looking for some recreational sex to escape family drama. But for Nate, romantic attraction comes before sexual attraction, so while Seth thinks they’re hooking up, Nate just wants to talk . . . genealogy?

Dude. Seriously?

So they declare a “just friends” truce. Then Seth asks for Nate’s help investigating a sinister Larson family secret, and their feelings start edging way beyond platonic. But Nate may want more than Seth can give him, and Seth may not be able to leave his good-time image behind. Unless they can find a way to merge carefree with commitment, they could miss out on true love—the best time of all.

Welcome to Bluewater Bay! This quiet little logging town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula has been stagnating for decades, on the verge of ghost town status. Until a television crew moves in to film Wolf’s Landing, a soon-to-be cult hit based on the wildly successful shifter novels penned by local author Hunter Easton.

Wolf’s Landing’s success spawns everything from merchandise to movie talks, and Bluewater Bay explodes into a mecca for fans and tourists alike. The locals still aren’t quite sure what to make of all this—the town is rejuvenated, but at what cost? And the Hollywood-based production crew is out of their element in this small, mossy seaside locale. Needless to say, sparks fly.

Catalyzed by her discovery of LGBTQ romance, Anne Tenino left the lucrative fields of art history, non-profit fundraising, and domestic engineering to follow her dream of become a starving romance author. For good or ill, her snarky, silly, quasi-British sense of humor came along for the ride.

Anne applies her particular blend of romance, comedy and gay protagonists to contemporary, scifi and paranormal tales. Her works have won awards, she’s been featured in RT Book Reviews, and has achieved bestseller status on Amazon’s gay romance list.

Born and raised in Oregon, Anne lives in Portland with her husband and two kids, who have all taken a sacred oath to never read her books. She can usually be found at her computer, procrastinating.

E.J. Russell holds a BA and an MFA in theater, so naturally she’s spent the last three decades as a financial manager, database designer, and business-intelligence consultant. After her twin sons left for college and she no longer spent half her waking hours ferrying them to dance class, she returned to her childhood love of writing fiction. Now she wonders why she ever thought an empty nest meant leisure.

E.J. lives in rural Oregon with her curmudgeonly husband, the only man on the planet who cares less about sports than she does. She enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of For a Good Time, Call…, one lucky winner will receive a $50 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on April 15, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!